Towards Future Methods to Take into Account Cross-Cultural Differences in Design: An Example with the 'Expert Community Staff' (ECS)

摘要

Nowadays, ergonomics tries to imagine and to create new methods based on social situations to understand users' needs when these end-users are issued from different cultures. Because these needs are socially and culturally determined, new technology cannot be designed without understanding how it is embedded in its socio-cultural context. The aim of this paper is to present the Expert Community Staff (ECS) method, an innovative participatory method to enlarge real users' needs. First, we present the theoretical background of this method. Second, we present the methodological implications for the design. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of this new participatory method are discussed.